There is more data created every two days than it has ever been in the whole of human history until 2003. This is the age of data revolution, for there is not only an explosion of data but there is also the development of the means to use the same for constructive purposes. Policy makers, researchers and the like are now engaged in developing the use of this data to effect changes in the development sector.

For example, the data collected through cell phones can be used to determine the health trends in a given population and even predict an outbreak. Taking a step further, governments globally are introducing and promoting the concept of e-health where a patients individual health records are electronically collected and health care practice is provided via the medium of the internet. This helps in making health care services more efficient, accessible and also introduces some amount of uniformity in patient care.

However, "Big Data" is often characterized by problems relating to its sharing, analyzing, storing, transferring and most importantly privacy considerations. Issues relating to privacy often come to the forefront when the management of data that is produced by the use of digital devices and web-supported tools by individuals is discussed. There are at present only about 70 nations in the world that have laws governing privacy rights and further the protection afforded in each varies greatly. Moreover, the nations that have advanced protective measures are mostly from the developed world.

This was a trend that was predicted in the Strategic Foresight Report titled "Global Security and Economy Emerging issues" in 2008 which said that while richer nations will develop means of protecting information, the poorer nations will give up on their information more willingly with fewer security protocols.

At the recently held Altius Conference of 2014 that I attended at Oxford, a session was devoted to the discussion on the use of "Big Data" in the future to effect social change. In this regard e-health in the European Union was deliberated upon. It is a system which aims to standardize health care system across all countries of the EU as well as provide individuals with better access to quality health care service. The benefits of this system are manifold but most importantly it is transcending boundaries of nations and helping individuals acquire necessary health care across borders. There are also measures in place to ensure the protection of the data collected and exchanged. For example no information will be exchanged with any nation that does not adhere to the protection standards prescribed by the EU. 

It is not just in the EU but e-health is being increasingly used by several other nations including American and Australia.  However, such a system is yet to be implemented in the developing world. A genuine concern of who can own, who can control and who can regulate the use of such data often comes to the forefront. While, technologically advanced richer nations seem to be taking further steps towards addressing these issues, poorer nations seem to struggling to join the league.

There are several international bodies such as the World Health Organization which are advocating and working towards bringing the system to lower and middle income countries where there is unprecedented increase in the number of the cell phone and internet users and where there is a greater need to bring about high-quality and affordable health care which is also remotely accessible. The EU is also looking at sharing its e-health expertise with the developing world. However, the effective implementation of such services would depend on how these nations are able to establish measures that would not only regulate and protect data but also use it for the public good. This is an on-going debate and there is not an easy solution for the same. The discussions on the subject matter between political elites, decision makers, scientists and others as seen at the Altius conference is nevertheless a promising sign that a future where data intelligence is used to enable social change in all parts of the world is attainable.